


Co-Teachers

by ishyfish



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 11:25:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14354493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishyfish/pseuds/ishyfish
Summary: It is Katniss Everdeen's first year teaching and Peeta Mellark is assigned as her mentor and co-teacher at Panem High School.  During a mandatory reflection right before spring break, both Katniss and Peeta reflect on both their teaching partnership and ponder the existence of something more.





	1. Peeta's Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first try at writing fan fiction. It cannot be stressed enough that this was inspired by everyone in the Hunger Games fandom. The effort and talent to come out of it is so inspirational. 
> 
> In writing, I know one can be successful in writing about what one knows. I know teaching very well. I live it and love it daily.
> 
> A huge you to my betas, Ms.KatnissEverdeen (on ff.net), LovelytotheBone, and katnissdoesnotfollowback. Without them and their positive and constructive feedback, this wouldn't be in existence.
> 
> Another thank you to the Hunger Games Tumblr community for the positive support and making me want to continue with this.

Peeta stared at the screen as he began to fill out the Google feedback and reflection form required for all co-teachers to complete before Spring Break so that his supervisor, Haymitch Abernathy, could work on the schedule for the next school year.  Peeta was a special education teacher at Panem High School and worked with primarily freshmen English students. He taught a few classes by himself and was co-teaching two class periods with a first-year teacher. Katniss Everdeen was brand new to the teaching world.  She did well with her classes and had a really impressive demo lesson to get the job. To help keep her morale in such a challenging profession up, Mr. Abernathy made sure to give her Peeta as a resource that she could use with lesson planning and providing suggestions for proper modifications in the curriculum for students who needed it.  She was totally green, but she was totally passionate about her work--both with her students and with teaching English.

 

Peeta himself had been teaching at Panem High for 5 years and was moved around wherever he was needed, but he thrived in the English classroom and knew how to make his students better readers.  Therefore, last year, Mr. Abernathy deemed him to be the new freshmen English teacher to get them ready for their big sophomore English test for the next school year. When Mr. Abernathy called him into the office to discuss co-teaching assignments, it was made abundantly clear that he was to do everything in his power to ensure the success of this teacher.  There were a lot of students that needed extra help in the classroom and Panem High made sure that those students were given the opportunity to work in the traditional classroom setting with an extra teacher on hand. That is where Peeta came in. He took students out of the classroom during tests, read and rephrased things for them, and broke down more complex texts if they needed it.  It was hard for a new teacher to do all of that single-handedly. Peeta approached Katniss before the school year started and told her confidently, “Hi, I’m Peeta, your co-teacher for 2nd and 5th hours. I’m here to make your life easier.” That was right before she looked up from her computer, stood up, and shyly brushed a loose piece of her long, dark braid behind her ear. Once he laid eyes on her, he knew he was a goner.  The quiet confidence that she exuded mixed with her humble nature made him so curious about her. He couldn’t wait to start his year with her.

 

Fast forward to today, Peeta had so many little things that made up such a successful school year, and he had to hand it to Katniss, er, Miss Everdeen, for being a major inspiration for his improvements and drive.  If he was going to work extra hard, it was going to be because he really _did_ want to make her life easier and he wanted her to want to come back.  Most importantly, he wanted her to enjoy teaching with him as much as he enjoyed teaching with her.

 

When he is really honest with himself, it isn’t teaching he is after.  He wants her. He wants to spoil her to the fullest. He wants to do more than meet up at the coffee shops on the weekends to discuss lessons and grade papers.  He knows how awkward it could get so he keeps his feelings at bay. He puts them to the side and tries to make his colleague comfortable coming to him without being hit on or flirted with.  Friendly. Just keep it friendly and everything will be fine. This mantra is both the life and death of him. It’s the mantra that keeps her around.

 

Peeta scrolled through the form to report this year’s co-teaching experience:

**Name:**

_Peeta Mellark_

**General or special education teacher:**  

_Special Education Teacher_

**Co-teacher’s name:**

_Katniss Everdeen_

**Class taught:**

_English 1_

 

"This is easy enough," Peeta thinks as he goes through the motions of paperwork.

 

**What do you find to be strengths in your partnership with your co-teacher?**

Peeta pondered the first constructed response question thoughtfully.  Strengths. Where doesn’t she have strengths? She is one of the hardest working teachers I have ever known.  She cares about the kids. She wants them to learn. She knows her stuff. She is absolutely brilliant. She is absolutely beautiful, too.  But that has nothing to do with her teaching. He is always distracted by her smile, her braid, her amazing silver eyes. He knows some of those boys are thinking the same thing he is thinking too, which is why he stands right next to them and silently chastises them.  “I know what you’re thinking, you underage little boy,” Peeta thinks to himself. “And there is no way I’ll have you disrespect my colleague in any way, even with your eyes.”

Peeta prepared his fingers for his response.

 _Miss Everdeen and I have a professional partnership in our classroom.  There is_ _regular collaboration between both of us and she is eager to learn ways to differentiate instruction to assist students that require more time, assistance, and modifications.  Miss Everdeen regularly asks for my input in class and allows me to interject during instruction if there is a lapse in clarity. The partnership that we have is respected by the students and both of us are seen as lead teachers in a collaborative classroom._

 

**What are areas of growth you and your co-teacher may have?**

Peeta chuckled to himself as he read through this question.  He thought of all of their interactions and the shenanigans that they get into.  Every once in a while, they would get off track in class. Katniss would always ask for his feedback and he would say something and they would get into their own conversation, completely forgetting the main objectives of the lesson, of the instruction, and the presence of the class, clearly focused on each other.  It would take a student raising his or her hand to remind them that they had an audience and they both reflected on whether or not they let their guards down too much in front of the students. Then, there is the “It has been ___ days since the last coffee spill in room 206” sign that the students saw fit to implement after one or the other teacher seemed to spill either their own coffee, or the other person’s at least once a week.  Students knew the reliance that both teachers had on the magical elixir and so any lost drop was a loss of their instructor’s sanity. Hence, a sign was made to encourage their teachers to be more careful with it and waste less class time sending a student to pick up paper towels from the bathroom. If he remembers correctly, it has been a mere 8 school days since the last coffee spill. Peeta never has this problem in any other class, but she makes him nervous, shaky.  He loses his nerve when he is around her.

 _Miss Everdeen and I collaborate well.  I feel that any areas of growth that we have can_ _be related to the absence of time we are able to spend together actively collaborating._  
_Because our partnership is so strong, I am a firm believer that given more_ _opportunities to teach and plan together, we can work better with our students.  Miss_ _Everdeen seems to lack confidence in writing whereas I feel like I fall short to her_ _expertise in reading.  Because each of us has complimentary weaknesses, we actually_ balance each other out.

 

Peeta definitely had a way with words.  He could turn anything positive. He hopes that Haymitch takes the time to read this and not just throw his name onto a dart and throw it at the list of possible collaborative teachers.  He really put his heart into this school year and he knows that he can do more good if he is able to work with Katniss. One more question.

 

 **“Would you like to continue to work with your co-teacher in the future?”**  That is the easiest question on this form.

 _Always,_ he types out, then quickly presses “Submit.”


	2. Katniss's Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss reflects about her year co-teaching with Peeta Mellark.

Katniss dismissed her final hour of the day  forcing a smile and enthusiasm. This week had been pure hell and Spring Break couldn’t happen soon enough.  There were no snow days during the winter which really just made it unbearable. The kids were getting stir crazy, the teachers were overworked and there was so much paperwork due, like, TODAY.  Why? Why do people think that teachers want deadlines BEFORE breaks? Some teachers don’t have lives and just get everything done over said break.

 

Any other teacher would just put all of the menial tasks of corresponding with parents on the backburner and handle it at a more convenient time.  However, it being Katniss’s first year, she felt a sense of responsibility to herself, her reputation, her administrators, and her students to get everything done.  She took a deep breath, leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms out, and took another deep breath. Time to open up the many emails that accumulated throughout the day.

 

Upon reading most of the parent emails, Katniss couldn’t help but scoff in bewilderment.  She thought out her snarky responses before typing out the appropriate and professional one that was required.  Katniss rolled her eyes at the audacity some of these parents had. 

 

Why can’t she just REALLY say what she feels in this emails?  If she could really send them what she feels, maybe people would find her less approachable for these ridiculous requests.  Instead, Katniss makes all of the correspondence with parents and students via email professional and understanding, while still holding expectations.  It doesn’t stop her from rolling her eyes. Thank goodness these concerns weren’t brought up to her in-person. Her facial expressions would tell the parents her answer and chances are, they would NOT like it.

 

_ No, your child will not be excused from the many missing assignments she has. _

“Good afternoon Ms. Smith,

While I realize that Sherry is overwhelmed with missing assignments, they will still be required to be completed for points.  Extended time will be granted to her and she is more than welcome to stay after school and attend tutoring with me on Mondays and Wednesdays to receive any help she may need.  Please contact me if you have any additional questions. 

Thank you,

Katniss Everdeen”

 

_ Yes, your student is still expected to read three chapters of  _ _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ _ by the end of break.  I don’t care what fancy cruise you’re going on.  Read on the damn boat. Read on the plane. No excuses.  Play like a champion. _

“Good afternoon Mr. McKinley,

It is the general expectation that all students complete the assigned reading over break in order to stay on track so we can complete our unit on time.  Have a wonderful trip!

Let me know if you have any additional questions,

Katniss Everdeen”

  
  


How much more inane can these requests be?  She smiles to herself. Her co-teacher, Peeta Mellark, told her that sometimes it could feel like an episode of Parks and Rec when they are having one of their town hall meetings.  One wouldn’t expect half of the things to be noted in an email, but pigs fly on a daily basis at Panem High and it is now her new normal.

 

Katniss stumbled upon an email from Mr. Abernathy, one of the administrators of Panem High School.  “Co-Teacher Feedback Form. Please fill out on or before March 29.” And Haymitch sent it out TODAY.  UGH! Katniss scoffed in exasperation. Seriously. This man should know how unorthodox it is to send a feedback email and require it back the day that it is due!  While Katniss was adjusting fairly well to her first year teaching, she always felt at odds with Mr. Abernathy. 

 

“This is it,” she thought.  “ This is the last thing I’m doing.  I’ve stayed after school far too long today and I’m in need of a break and a stiff drink.  This year feels like it is never-ending.”

 

Before starting on her draft, her phone notified her of a new message.  “God. What now?” she spoke aloud. Upon checking her phone, a light smile came across her face.  She typed a reply to the text and got back to her final school-related task of the day. Now she has a time limit so she better get it done.

 

**Name:**

_ Katniss Everdeen _

**General or special education teacher:**

_ General Education Teacher _

**Co-teacher’s name:**

_ Peeta Mellark _

 

Katniss smiled as she typed it out.  She always found his name to roll off of the tongue so easily.  She raised her eyebrows and smirked. She remembered being transfixed by his gorgeous blue eyes and overall cool demeanor.  He had told her that he was there to make her life easier, but what he really did was complicate the hell out of it. What was she supposed to do with an extremely attractive co-teacher who was clearly much more experienced at his job than her?  She had to keep herself contained and controlled with him around. She didn’t want to say or do anything stupid. She tried to be confident, but her modesty always got the better of her, especially around Peeta. He was so likable, both with the teachers and students.  She couldn’t compete in that category so she just taught what she knew and tried her best. He was always so reassuring so she figured that she must have been doing a decent job. 

 

**Class taught:**

_ English 1 _

 

**What do you find to be strengths in your partnership with your co-teacher?**

 

Katniss paused at the first constructed response question she had to answer.  She sat back in her chair, looked up and squinted at the ceiling as she pondered.  Strengths? Well...Peeta is generous with the credit that he gives in the classroom to the students, but behind the scenes, it is clear that he has all of the ideas and control. The kids  listen with  interest because of the respect they have for Mr. Mellark, but just listen because they are  required to because of Katniss’s scowl .  When he gave her his phone number, it threw Katniss for a loop.  She wondered exactly what he was trying to say when he offered it to her so freely right when they met.  Then she remembered that co-teachers collaborate. She decided not to look too much into it. He was a hot commodity.  Teachers and students alike had crushes on him. Her co-worker, Madge, gushed to her when they met early in the school year about how lucky she was to have Mr. Mellark as a co-teacher.  Not only was he easy on the eyes, the man knew his stuff.

 

_ Mr. Mellark and I get along very well in the classes that we teach together.  He has always offered himself as a resource for ideas for lessons and assistance with grading major assignments.  We have a good back-and-forth in class and he does an excellent job of giving extra help to students who may need it.  I can regularly count on Mr. Mellark to be present and willing to help me or the students on a daily basis. He is an integral part of this classroom and I find that we work very well together. _

 

**What are areas of growth you and your co-teacher may have?**

 

Katniss hummed to herself.  What areas of growth DOES Mr. Mellark have?  Katniss smiled deviously as she thought of an appropriate response to what she interpreted as an inappropriate question.

 

_ Mr. Mellark is particularly helpful when it comes to his willingness to work with me.  If anyone has a weakness in our partnership, it would definitely be me. Mr. Mellark has always made himself available if I need any assistance and I believe that he has made a huge difference in the flow and ease of my first year here as a teacher.  I feel that I may rely on Mr. Mellark’s help too much and actually just feel kind of bad about it. _

 

**Would you like to continue to work with your co-teacher in the future?**

 

Would she like to continue working with the nicest, smartest, most patient and attractive man she has ever had the pleasure of knowing?  Hell yes. But she couldn’t make herself seem too desperate. Her days would be so much more mundane without him in them. She’d bore herself to tears without anyone to talk to and banter back and forth with in the middle of class about conceptual themes of whatever stories were being read.  What is the best way to put this? Uh...Katniss just punched the keyboard quickly and typed what seemed to be a good statement.

 

_ While I understand that our partnership is going well and would like more opportunities to work with him, I understand if he would be better suited to work with more experienced teachers. _

 

Katniss finished up her form right on time.  She triumphantly pressed “Submit” and sat back in her chair.  Right as she was done, she looked up to see a familiar face leaning against her classroom doorway.

“Hey Champ, ready for your well-deserved break?” Peeta inquired with a slight smile.

 

“I thought it would never come!” Katniss declared with exasperation.  “Oh my gosh, Peeta. You should have seen some of the emails I got. Parents are just ridiculous.”

 

“Oh, trust me, I’ve had my fair share over the years.  But you answered back like I told you to, right?” Peeta seemed both amused and supportive with how he posed the question.  He crossed his arms after he made his way over to Katniss’s desk.

 

“Yes, but it was so painful.”  Katniss threw her hands up in the air, almost like she was throwing a tantrum.  “ Why can’t I just tell them the truth?” Katniss whined playfully.

 

Peeta shook his head at her with a closed-lipped smile as he shrugged.  “Tenure, babe. You’ve got a few years before you get it. Think you’ll stick around that long?”  Peeta inquired with a hopeful lilt in his voice.

 

Katniss couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach with the term of endearment he casually just used on her.  “Babe.” Peeta thinks she’s a babe? Or maybe she was looking too much into it. 

 

“Only if you’re with me every step of the way, buddy,”  she said casually with a smile on her face. Katniss began to pack up her things quickly.  “Hey, drinks are on me, okay? You’ve done far too much for me at this point.”

 

“Not a chance, Everdeen.  If you want me to stick around, you’ve got to let me spoil you at least with a celebratory drink or two.  And you’ll have to beg every administrator in the building if you think you’re getting rid of me any time soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> This will be several chapters in different formats depending on what I'm feeling as I write.


End file.
